Copyright © 2008 | MainStreet Media Group
Sep 1, 2008
Rich Taylor

At a youth sports convention I attended, I recall the keynote speaker mentioning that if you thought a particular sport was boring or you didn't like it, chances were highly likely that you couldn't play that sport, had a bad experience with that sport or just didn't give it a chance to prove itself.

I tend to agree.

I've heard baseball is boring, soccer is boring, golf, tennis and synchronized swimming are boring. The list goes on and on.

In certain instances, I can relate to a parent watching little Johnny stand in right field for an entire six innings without so much as sniffing a ball or a goalie in soccer standing lifeless while all the action is at the other end.

Face it. It happens. There's no way around it. If you want to blame someone, though, go back 100 years and voice your displeasure to the inventors of the sport and ask them, 'What were you thinking?'

Just don't say it's boring. Boring to me was lying around a studio apartment, fresh out of college on a Friday night, with no money, no girlfriend, all my friends in Las Vegas, my TV broken and having nothing to eat but a hard-boiled egg in the fridge and a six-month-old box of Wheaties atop the counter. Now, that's boring!

Anyone making boring comments obviously fails to take into account the mastery, the work ethic and practice the players have to put in to perfect their skills and reach a high level of competition.

At one time or another, we've probably all made comments of this nature, and I myself have made them in jest. But at no time have I disrespected the people involved nor the pride they take in what they do.

Not a day goes by that the 'boring' comment is disproved in some shape or form.

Read on...